The Controversial Hand
With just six players left and a million up top, blinds at 60.000/120.000, Wakil opened the action from UTG to 270.000 holding Q d J d . The table folded around to Shevliakov in the small blind, who verbally announced a raise to 360.000 with A h K h . However, this wasn’t a legal raise, as the minimum allowed after Wakil’s open was 420.000. The tournament director stepped in and ruled that Shevliakov had to raise to at least the minimum.
Believing the underraise was an honest mistake—and perhaps reading it as weakness—Wakil jammed his remaining 32 big blinds. Shevliakov snap-called and said, “I really missed the action.” When the cards were dealt, Wakil looked stunned. His QJ was in rough position, found no help, and he was eliminated in 6th place for 199.750€.
You can watch the hand—it’s the very first one in this YouTube recap:
The contested hand is the very first in this highlight reel
Backlash and Community Reaction
The hand sparked immediate backlash. Many in the poker community felt Shevliakov had committed an angle shoot—intentionally bending the rules to gain an edge. Critics pointed out that Shevliakov is an experienced player and highly unlikely to misread the action at such a high-stakes final table. He defended himself by claiming it was a lapse in concentration and an honest mistake.
The poker world remains divided. Some see the incident as a textbook angle shoot, while others are willing to give Shevliakov the benefit of the doubt. Still, the controversy has cast a shadow over his victory, which many feel will always carry an asterisk.
Wakil Speaks Out
After taking a few days to cool off, Wakil broke his silence today in a post on X, calling Shevliakov’s move a “clear angle shoot.” He emphasized that no seasoned pro could have overlooked the prior action and backed up his claim with three main points, which were widely echoed by the poker community:
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His open raise was clearly announced and confirmed by the dealer.
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It was the only hand during the final table where Shevliakov announced his raise verbally.
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Boris Angelov commented post-hand that Shevliakov had pulled the same move earlier in the tournament
While Wakil admitted that his own shove may not have been the best decision, he stood by his belief that Shevliakov’s move was misleading. He also thanked the poker community for their support, clarifying that his goal isn’t to stir up hate, but to call out unethical behaviour. According to Wakil, speaking out is crucial to maintaining integrity in the game.
I’ve been receiving a lot of messages about the situation with Aleksandr Shevliakov, leading to my 6th place finish in the EPT Monte Carlo Main Event yesterday, so I’ve made some comments below to address it. The reason for this post is strictly because I believe that it is… pic.twitter.com/CiJXQDLptg
— Jamil Wakil (@JamWakil) May 11, 2025
What’s your take? Was Wakil right to feel duped? Was this a calculated angle shoot or just a misstep under pressure? Join the conversation on our social channels and let us know what you think!
Sources - YouTube, X, PokerNews, Poker.org, Flickr